New harbor plan approved

WELLS — A revised harbor plan was unanimously approved by the Wells Board of Selectmen at the meeting Tuesday, Feb. 5.

Samantha Stephens

WELLS — A revised harbor plan was unanimously approved by the Wells Board of Selectmen at the meeting Tuesday, Feb. 5.

The process to create a new harbor plan officially began in January 2012 when the town of Wells received a $16,500 grant from the Maine Coastal Program. The town was required to contribute $8,600, plus $4,500 in in-kind donations to the project to receive eligibility for the grant.

Town Manager Jon Carter said the process to revise the plan, which was written in 1991, began with a town forum and the hiring of Wright-Pierce Engineering. The town also began working with the Wells Harbor Advisory Committee.

"It badly needed to be updated," Carter said of the plan.

Although there are minor revisions that need amending before the document is considered officially complete, including the fixing of spelling and grammatical errors, Carter described the plan as a living document for the town.

"We're still hoping for a full dredge this year, that will take precedence over anything else," he said, adding that other projects among the town's future goals include improving Harbor Road and Harbor Park for maintenance and repair, updating facilities at Harbor Park and extensive maintenance work at the gazebo and pavilion.

Jon Edgerton, the engineer who oversaw the project, presented a detailed analysis of the overarching goals to balance the future of harbor development — with attention paid to both the natural and man-made influences — and to generate revenues from the commercial and recreational use.

Edgerton also stated that it's important and an ongoing process to apply to federal, state and other funding sources for grants to continue maintenance and beautification at the harbor.

"It's important to treat harbor planning as a continuous process," he said.

After receiving no comments from the public, Selectman Karl Ekstedt said the points within the harbor plan were well presented and he thanked Edgerton for his efforts.

"The walkways, roads, and public access need to be focused on. Great job bringing that forth," Ekstedt said.

Chairman Bob Foley suggested that two marshes that exist under Harbor Road should be connected by a culvert that would also help maintain and sustain the water quality at the harbor.

"The road is an impoundment," Foley said. "It would help in the water quality but it would also help in the potential sea-level rise by giving the ocean more space to go into."

Foley said after the minor editing, he expects the document to be a valuable resource.

"With the corrections, it will be an even better document," he said.

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